This is a shared instrumentation grant proposal requesting the purchase of a low Tesla vertically oriented open magnetic resonance imaging system with broad band capabilities (vertical MRI). A vertical imaging system will allow a group of NIH investigators to image the Lung and Orthopedic structures in a vertical orientation so as to evaluate these systems under the gravity loading conditions experienced during most waking hours. MRI has the advantage that it can perform imaging without the need for ionizing radiation (this is particularly important if repeated studies are required or where young patients are investigated). Furthermore, a vertical open system is significantly more patient friendly, both in terms of accessibility and in terms of easier breathing for symptomatic (dyspnoeic) patients. This multinuclear system will allow studies of the lungs using both fast proton imaging (for instance to assess the diaphragmatic pump) and through the application of hyperpolarized nobles gases as contrast agents (with their inherent information on microstructure and regional lung function). It is intended that both normal and pathophysiological conditions will be studied. The work will not only allow imaging parameters to be assessed, but will also feed this information on airway flow simulations and for study of strain relationships, which all may play a role in disease development as well as for the invention of new therapy approaches. Other body applications will initially focus on spine and significant orthopedic conditions, including (but not limited to) effects of gravity on scoliosis and posture, and such conditions as congenital hip dysplasia, premature osteo-arthritis due to joint mal-alignment and to study therapeutic effects of braces in scoliosis and physical approaches to back pain. Clearly, musculoskeletal conditions are significantly influenced by gravity. However, study of these phenomena is notoriously difficult and crude, mainly relying on plain radiography. The advanced imaging capabilities of MRI will allow study of soft tissues (such as ligaments) and variable joint movements during loading. This project responds very well to the NIH's new focus on biomedical imaging and bioengineering, translational research and the need for multiple disciplines to work together. The addition of this equipment to the research capabilities at Iowa will significantly aid a group of NIH funded researchers, likely leading to further interactions between a multidisciplinary array of collaborators, while it will also have an impact on at least three Colleges within the University of Iowa (Medicine, Engineering, and Public Health). [unreadable] [unreadable] Significance to Public Health: This grant request is seeking to gain funding for the acquisition of a vertical magnetic resonance scanner which will allow us to establish within our growing imaging-based atlas of the normal human lung, information which show how the normal lung is structured and functions in the upright body posture. The normative lung atlas is an important first step in detecting early abnormalities and in understanding disease processes. New interventions to lung disease must start at an early stage of the disease process. The requested scanner will also allow us to evaluate the body's support structure with it loaded by gravity. It is critical to evaluate the skeletal system fully loaded if we are to understand the biomechanical nature of orthopedic-related pathology. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]